The Nudge Project (On Hold)
by Fanfic Insanity
Summary: Iggy gets dared to get to know a mocha skinned, motor mouth, nerd named Monique for a whole year. By the end of this 'Nudge Project', will he fall for the victim? Or leave her lying in the dirt? NIGGY. No wings. Rated T for mild language.
1. The Dare

Iggy POV

I was laughing with my buds. Dylan Gunther-Hagen, Fang Walker, and my little bro, Gazzy Ride, continued to talk about all the girls on school grounds. The three were loved crazed at the moment and I really could care less, until the one girl, mocha skinned and very talk-a-tive walked by. They all watched her as she walked to her locked only five down from mine and put her books away. She took her glasses off, setting them carefully inside and checking herself in her locker mirror. Then she put them back on, grabbed her bag, and headed to lunch. Her eyes met mine for only a slight second as she passed, the brown seeming to glare into my soul.

Fang suddenly wolf-whistled at her, making her turn around and stare for a few minutes. She rolled her eyes and then continued on her way, not paying attention to the four guys leaning against the lockers.

"Dude. What the hell was that?" Dylan asked, punching Fang lightly in the shoulder.

"What?" He replied, putting his hands up in a confused gesture. I shook my head at them and then looked down the hall at Monique's, retreating form. Her skirt swished as she walked, the school uniform seeming to fit her long legs perfectly. Gazzy realized I was checking her out and smacked me upside the head.

"Ow. Dude, what was that for?" I all but screamed at him, fighting the urge to punch him in the gut.

"Why were you checking Monique out?" He asked, raising an eyebrow at me. By now both Fang and Dylan had stopped fighting and were staring at me with their arms crossed.

"Shut up. You guys are such children, you probably don't even know what you're talking about." I snapped, slamming my locker door shut. Fang smirked, Gazzy chuckled, and Dylan uncrossed his arms, poking me in the chest.

"Fine. If we are such children, then I dare you to get to know her for the rest of the year. That means becoming friends, learning everything about her, and spending every aching minute in her presence. And the week before school gets out, if you don't have feelings for her, we leave you alone. But" -he paused for dramatic effect- "if you do have feelings for her, then you have to do whatever we tell you to, no matter how disgusting or totally life changing it is." By the end of his speech, he crossed his arms again and looked me in the eye, waiting for my answer. I thought about it, weighing the pros and cons in my mind. I finally decided.

"Alright, fine. It's a dare."

We shook. We went to lunch. We carried on with our lives. And we went home. Tomorrow, though, it was going to be diffrent. Tomorrow was the day I was going to become friends with Monique Valentine.

~Next Day at Lunch

Iggy POV

I walked up to her, my head held high and my lunch tray in my hands. She was reading a book, slowly nibbling at an apple. I pulled out the chair across from her and sat down. Her eyes froze on the page she was on and her head slowly raised to look at me. After a while, I looked up at her and smiled.

"Hi." I said, then carried on with eating my pizza.

"What are you doing?" She asked, setting her book on the table and her unfinished apple on her tray. I shrugged.

"What do you mean?" I questioned, raising my head to look at her.

"What are you doing sitting here with me?" She said, leaning back in her chair and folding her arms over her chest. I shrugged again.

"I don't know. Is it against the law to sit next to a pretty girl such as yourself?" I replied, smirking as she stared at me, thinking.

"Uh huh. I bet that's exactally what's going on." She muttered. I stared at her, searching her face. Her large brown eyes seemed to shrink underneath her glasses. Her mocha face was flawless, looking as soft as baby skin. Her lips were a slight peach, showing bright against her dark skin. Her cheek bones were high, her hair framing her face perfectly. My eyes wandered to her uniform. Her chest fit against her white blouse perfectly, her dark navy blue tie wrapped nicely around her neck. I looked back into her eyes to see her staring at me watching her.

I blushed and looked down at my pizza again. How embarrasing is it when a girl catches you staring at her chest? Pretty embarrasing if I do say so myself, especially when I'm trying to win her over for a dare. Stupid Dylan.

"Alright, I can't take it. What the hell do you want?" Nudge suddenly said, slamming her hands onto the table and standing to full height. I stood up too, towering a good foot above her. She glared up at me, eyes filled with hate.

"What? Is it a crime to sit next to you?" I practically shouted, glaring back at her. She rolled her eyes and then turned back to me.

"Listen here, Ignite Ride, I know you. I know your little games. The ones where you pretend to like a girl, get what you want, and then dump them like trash. You are an asshole and every single girl in this boarding school knows it. If you want to sit next to me so bad there has to be a catch. And if there isn't a catch, I think I'm in heaven, because you never sit next to a girl without wanting something or other!" Her voice had risen towards the end of her speech and everyone had started to stare.

All of their faces stood out at me, locking eyes every now and then. I finally turned back to Monique to see her only inches from my face. Her breath brushed against my face as she exhaled, smelling like peppermint.

"Leave. Me. The. Hell. Alone. And if you don't, I will get you in your nightmares." She whispered, venom lacing each word and making me shiver. Then she grabbed her bag, leaving her tray, and ran off.

That didn't go as well as I had hoped.

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**I hope you guys enjoyed. **

**This idea had came to me last night when I was having a sleep over with my friend. R&R? **

**Thanks.**

**~Snowflake**


	2. Her Secret

**Hey, guys! In this chapter, I'm going to be adding some of my own characters for Nudge's family and some of her deepest secrets. **

**I hope you like. Enjoy!**

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Iggy POV

Friday. It had been three days since my fail with Monique, and Dylan wouldn't let me hear the end of it. Trying to avoid him and trying to get close to a girl you've never even talked to before is a whole lot harder thank you would think. But I had to try, right? I'm the famous Iggy Ride, the one that never backs down no matter how frightening the situation is. The one that all girls swoon over. The one that gets what he wants, when he wants. So, I was going to follow her home, see where she lives, and convince her to go out with me. I know, I know, really stalkerish, Iggy, I know. But, what other choice do I have? Fail, and lose the bet. No way in hell was that ever going to happen.

So, right when the bell rang to signal class was over, I hurried outside to my car, and waited for Monique to leave. When she finally came out, I watched her walk off of school grounds and then followed. After staying a good twenty paces away from her for three blocks, I drove up and pulled over. The look on her face could have made the most humorless person in the world laugh.

I wish I had had a camera.

Nudge POV

The day seemed to rush by in a blur. Before I knew it, the bell for the end of the day echoed through the halls. I hurried as fast as I could to leave without getting trampled. People all around me pushed and shoved, acting like I was invisible. I was used to this, but it still hurt to be known as the nerdy kid without any friends. Hopefully, I would make some.

When I had finally reached the doors, I hurried to gulp in the fresh, clean air outside. Only seconds were allowed for me to do this, I had to get home. So, I started off for my house almost a mile away. You're probably thinking I have it bad, but walking almost a mile back and forth every day does more harm than good. Sure, my legs ache and I'm heaving if I've ran, but it keeps me in good health and skinny. That's exactly what I don't need right now. To be overweight. **(A/N: I'm sorry to all those who think they're overweight, I don't mean to offend anyone.)**

About three blocks of walking, a car pulled up and I looked at it, shocked. No one, not in a million years, would stop for me. But the happiness in my chest evaporated as soon as the owner of the car got out. Iggy. Of course...

"What do you want, Iggy?" I asked while rolling my eyes and putting my free hand on my hip. He grinned at me, not answering right away. Instead, he walked around the car to where I was standing and stopped only inches from my body. When he leaned down, his lips were only centimeters from mine and his eyes were seeming to stare into my soul. Cold breath brushed against my face as he exhaled, smelling like Spear Mint toothpaste.

"Only to drive you home." He said, now twirling a piece of my hair around his finger. I tensed, but stayed where I was, my eyes locked with his.

"What's in it for you?" I replied, my eyes narrowing into slits. He laughed, slightly tugging on my hair as he did so.

"Why don't you just realize the fact that I want to get to know you and deal with it?" Was his reply. I pieirced my lips, mulling it over in my brain. My mind kept saying yes but I wanted so desperatly to say no.

"Fine." I finally ground out, gritting my teeth as I did so. He smiled and let go of my hair. Then he walked around to the driver's seat of the car. When he realized I hadn't gotten in, he rolled down the passenger window and looked out.

"Are you getting in or not?" Heaving a sigh, I got in and slammed the door shut. He scowled but said nothing and then started up the road. House after house after house after house passed by in a blur until I finally told him to pull into a different street. Brick white homes sat side by side with freshly mowed lawns shining vibrate green in the late sun. Six houses down and I told him to turn in. When he did, he actually turned off the car and got out like he was going to come inside. I hoped out and ran to step in front of him, putting my hands on his chest as he tried to go around me.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?" I asked, finally slamming my fist into his gut to make him stop. It hurt. The dude had abs. Rock hard abs. The weird part? It didn't seem to phase him. Instead, he grabbed my hands and looked me in the eye. Electric tingles shot up and down my arms as he touched my bare skin.

"What do you think? I want to meet your family."

I was shocked. He wanted to, what now?

"You wanna what?" I asked, completely mortified.

"You heard me. Now let me through." He said, pushing me slightly to the side and walking up my front steps. I tried to stop him before he reached the door, but no such luck. His finger pressed the door bell three steps before I got to him. My eyes widened, and I pushed him against the porch rail.

"You idiot." I hissed. "What do you think you are doing, ringing people's doorbells like th-" I didn't finish my sentence. My older brother had opened the door and looked very pissed off.

Iggy POV

She was mad I rang a doorbell? You have got to be kidding me.

But before she even finished her sentence, a guy that looked slightly like her had opened the door, and looked, in my opinion, very pissed off. His glare zig zagged back and forth between Monique and I. His green eyes looked very upset and tired. Upset? Probably because I rang the doorbell. Tired? No fucking clue.

"What the hell is he doing here?" The dude asked. I pretened to be hurt and fake put my hand over my heart.

"Ah, that hurt. That hurt real bad." I said, rolling my eyes and pushing Monique aside. Too shocked to react, she moved easily and almost tripped down the porch stairs while she was at it. I stared at her for a few minutes but then turned back to the guy in the door way.

"Whatever." He suddenly said, grabbing a jacket from a coat hanger that I couldn't see. "Just don't do anything stupid." The retort was pointed more at Monique then at me. But he left before we could move, speeding down the street on a cherry red motorcycle. When he was out of sight, I stepped aside as Monique rushed past me and up a staircase across from the threshold. I shut the door behind me and looked around.

The house was small. A tiny kitchen led off to the right while a average sized living room was on the left. Not very many pictures hung on the walls, and the ones that did were small ones of Monique as a baby, her and her family at the beach, and then there was one with that dude with his arm slung around her at the zoo. She looked happy, cheerful, unlike every other time I've seen her at school. Now, she seems to always be sulking in a corner with a book. Wonder what happened...

Through the silence, a scream of laughter filled the air. I ran upstairs to see what the commotion was about. Three rooms down on the right, I walked in to see Monique sitting on her bed with a small infant in her arms. The child was shrieking and giggling as Monique tickled it's sides and stomach. As if noticing my presence, the baby looked up at me with wide brown eyes just like Monique's. It's small hand reached out at me and Monique looked up. Her smile faded for a fraction of a second and then returned. She looked down at the kid and then back up at me, motioning with her head for me to come over. I did.

Monique looked up at me and smiled. A true, genuine smile. I smiled back, not being able to contain my laughter as the infant groped at Monique's hair. The little thing looked exactly like Monique with it's mocha skin, big brown eyes, and thick dark hair. She looked up at me and smiled a grin with only four little teeth. I laughed again, actually enjoying being around a girl for the first time in a long time. Sure, I've smiled and laughed with other females, but it was different with Monique. She was real. Not fake.

"What's her name?" I asked her, looking at the infant and than back up at Monique. She smirked a little, keeping her eyes trained on the fragile child.

"Today, Becky. Tomorrow, who knows." She replied, her face turning back to a normal frown. The little child in her arms was now falling asleep, blinking and rubbing it's eyes every few minutes.

"You mean you don't have a name for her?" I said confused and grabbing the little child's hand, smiling a little when it wrapped it's little fingers around one of mine. She shrugged.

"Yep. She was born only two months before my mom died." Tears were welling up in her eyes now as she stared at her little sister. Slowly, very slowly, I wrapped an arm around her and let her head fall onto my shoulder. She was now sobbing into my shirt, but pulled back just a few minutes later to lay the infant in a crib across the room. Then she came back and sat on the bed next to me. The silence stretched on, covering us like a blanket. She was staring at the ground, me staring at her. We both stayed quiet, not daring to speak. Someone had to break the ice sooner or later.

"How'd it happen?" I asked, looking away as she sat up straighter.

"I remember it like it was yesturday. My brother, little sister, and I had all gone to the park. We were taking turns to push her on the swing made for little kids her age. When we got home, cops were everywhere. Reporters circled us, asking us questions that didn't make sense. At least, not until we found out. Our mother, our beautiful, happy, well mannered mother, had died. In a little thing, a little thing. She had been coming home from the grocery store. I had asked her to go buy some pizza and icecream for dinner. Before she left, she told us like she always does to, 'Never be afraid. If I don't come back, remember that I am in your heart as long as you want me to be.' Then she left. When I walked in the kitchen, there was a note saying that we would stay at the park until she got home or a little after the sun set.

"It killed me to know that I was the one to tell her to go to the store. I was the one that made her get in the car and drive away. A hurried and unmeanful goodbye was the only thing that had left my lips. Not an I love you or a Miss you already, but a stupid goodbye. Fifteen. Fifteen years old and I felt like I was six again when I walked through that door. Police, neighbors, strangers, and reporters stood there to watch as we got the news. The terrible news that changed my life forever. Even my brother, the one that used to make jokes, laugh, play, sing, dance... Stopped doing all of those things.

"When the question came whether or not we had a dad, I lied. I said that we did and he was just on a buisness trip. He was really dead. Died from a plane crash seven months before the baby was born. He was never there, he was gone, just like my mom. We've been living by ourselves ever since. My brother, being seventeen at the time, quite school and got a job. The money he's made is the only thing that we've been living on. He's so strict, trying to act like the fatherhood figure. I didn't know what to do, I was so lost, so afraid. Acting as a nerd seemed to protect my secret. And then you came along..."

She trailed off, not finishing her sentence but looking at me instead. The intensity of her sad brown eyes would have made me drop down to her feet if I hadn't gripped the edge of the bed for support. I pierced my lips and bit down on the inside of my cheek. She finally looked away, suddenly growing interested at the ground again. This is what had happened? This is why she's so sad and lonely all the time?

What did I get myself into?


	3. At Lunch

Iggy POV

I was laying in my bed at 2:00 in the morning. Every time I would fall asleep, Monique would drift into my thoughts and I would jerk back awake. My mind was wheeling, never seeming to slow down but to speed up.

After we had sat in silence for a while, I started to ask Monique about her mom and what she was like. Dylan said to get to know her, right? But I also wanted to lift the stupid emotional breakdown that was hanging in the air. It was annoying.

So, we talked. And we talked. And we talked. And we talked. Until I finally looked at the clock to see it was already ten. Saying a quick but meanful goodbye and rushing out the door all the while texting my mom and telling her I was almost home. Which, that turned out to be a lie because I got lost and couldn't find out what street I was on until about an hour later when I jerked forward in front of the house I had driven by at least five times and ran inside. My parents were pissed. They both had their arms crossed and were glaring at me. I actually just shrugged, and walked upstairs, not even giving them an excuse.

And now I lay in bed, wide awake, and thinking about what Monique. Did this dare bring more harm than good? What if I really do fall in love with her? Then what? I sighed, why was life so difficult? I can't believe I actually took that damn bet. Karma strikes back, baby.

But I finally closed my eyes and fell asleep, still thinking about Monique when I did.

~Four Hours Later; 6:00 A.M.

An innoying, buzzing sound went off near my ear, and I scrunched up my nose in concentration. The only thought that went through my head was, _Why is there a fire alarm in the house? _**(A/N: This seriously happened to me before! I was asleep, my alarm went off, and those are the exact words I thought! It took me ten minutes to figure out it was my alarm clock.)**

Ten minutes later, I finally realized it was my alarm clock. Sending my hand blindly towards the left, I slammed down on the button, and it went silent after a strangled beep. Rolling over, I slowly started to fall unconcious again, until a freezing cold substance splashed over my head. Coughing and sputtering, I jumped up, realizing it was water. When I looked beside me, my younger sister, Angel, was smiling up at me with a bucket in her hand. I glared.

"What the he-"

"Mom said that if you don't get up ten minutes after your alarm goes off, I get to splash water all over your face." A giggle escaped from her clasped lips, and she skipped out of the room, bucket swinging in her hand. I swear, if she wasn't a girl and only seven, I would strangle her.

Deciding it was too early in the morning to get mad, I showered, got dressed, and then headed downstairs. Mom had left with my sister and brother, so I was left alone. Skipping breakfast, I grabbed my back pack and headed to school. I'd be early but it didn't matter, I was the captain of the soccer team and had all access to anything I wanted.

As I drove down the street, I saw a familiar form walking towards the school. Her mocha skin had goose bumps from the cold, her large brown eyes were framed by her glasses seemed to have tears in them. I pulled up beside her and hopped out.

"Hey, Monique!" I called. She turned and then ran up to me, a smiling growing on her face.

"Hey, Iggy. Oh, and call me Nudge." I stared at her.

"Nudge?" I asked, laughing slightly and smiling. She nodded and looked at the ground.

"It's kind of a nickname." She replied, looking up at me with a slight blush. I smiled back down at her and motioned to the car. She mutely nodded and hopped in. Maybe getting to know this girl wouldn't be too bad. I mean, she seemed nice and looked pretty. But she was definitley hiding something, and I was determined to find out. I had already gotten out the fact that she had an unknown little sister and no parents, right?

~At Lunch

I sat down with her at lunch again. She didn't seem to mind this time, but I could see her shoulders tense. We ate in silence, catching each other's eye and smiling every now and again, but that was about it. Everything was going great until this Lissa slut came up to us.

"Hey, Monique. Love the glasses." She said with a snarky voice. I rolled my eyes and looked at Nudge. She was suddenly really interested at how her lettuce looked in her salad and didn't respond. Lissa rolled her eyes and turned to me, smiling sweetly. Something was up. She hated me and mostly went for Fang.

"Hey, Ignite. What you doing sitting with this loser?" I glared at her. This didn't seem to dim her confidence.

"First, she's not a loser. Just a totally cute nerd girl that's my friend. Second, I can sit anywhere I want. You aren't the boss of where my ass sits at lunch. And third, Monique is twice the woman you'll ever be. Underneath all that make up and _slut_, I can barely tell that you're a woman at all." Shock, terror, and most of all, rage, burned on her features and I smiled. Suddenly, applause broke out in the entire lunch room, even the teachers were clapping, and I stood to take a bow.

Maybe this dare wasn't that bad after all.

* * *

Nudge POV

_He stood up for me._ I can't believe that he stood up for me.

I was used to Lissa picking on my glasses, my clothes, my hair, the way I acted, but I was not used to somebody standing up for me. Especially Iggy, the one guy in the entire grade that never stood up for anybody, but knocked them down. The sexist pig, the pyro, the almost blind, Iggy.

What was he trying to get at? I probably would never know. That is... Until he broke my heart. But he didn't have my heart. Or did he? I always watched him from afar, but not in a stalkerish way. I didn't follow him to his house, know his favorite color or all the sports he's played, but I watched. And he watched me.

Maybe, just maybe, I was falling for him? Or was that totally fairy tale?

The guy likes girl. Guy trys to get to know girl. Girl starts liking guy. Guy betrays girl. Girl crys. Guy and girl get together. They kiss and live happily ever after.

No, I wasn't going to let Iggy lead me in a fairy tale romance. I already had a lot going on at home. Not to mention the bullying, but I was used to that. Even if I wanted to let him in, I couldn't. My brother wouldn't allow it. He almost killed me the other night when Iggy had left and he came home. Serious, I still have bruises to prove it.

But the big question was, am I falling for Iggy?


End file.
